內容簡介
法律驚悚小說之王新作
暢銷冠軍作家約翰‧葛里遜至今最充滿力量、驚喜和懸疑的最新力作
「全新作品結合神秘謀殺、司法和家庭史詩等，令讀者重新認識約翰‧葛里遜不僅只是驚悚小說家。」─《今日美國報》
故事開始在1946年10月的坎頓鎮。
Pete Banning是坎頓鎮的天之驕子─二戰英雄、地方望族的族長，同時也是農夫、父親及衛理公會的虔誠信徒。10月的微涼清晨，他早起開車出城，卻犯下一起驚人的罪刑。Pete對所有人的統一供詞只有一句話：「無話可說」。口氣堅定的他似乎想將心中隱藏的秘密與死亡一同埋葬。
不同於約翰‧葛里遜過去的寫作風格，他將帶領我們走入一場不可思議的旅程，從南方種族隔離到二戰時期菲律賓叢林；從充滿秘密的精神病院到坎頓鎮的法庭上，Pete的律師不顧一切試圖為他辯解。不禁令人聯想起美國南方歌德派文學，也因為增添葛里遜特有的司法懸疑劇情，更讓這部新作值得期待。
"A murder mystery, a courtroom drama, a family saga . . . The Reckoning is Grisham's argument that he's not just a boilerplate thriller writer. Most jurors will think the counselor has made his case."-USA Today
October 1946, Clanton, Mississippi
Pete Banning was Clanton, Mississippi's favorite son-a decorated World War II hero, the patriarch of a prominent family, a farmer, father, neighbor, and a faithful member of the Methodist church. Then one cool October morning he rose early, drove into town, and committed a shocking crime. Pete's only statement about it-to the sheriff, to his lawyers, to the judge, to the jury, and to his family-was: "I have nothing to say." He was not afraid of death and was willing to take his motive to the grave.
In a major novel unlike anything he has written before, John Grisham takes us on an incredible journey, from the Jim Crow South to the jungles of the Philippines during World War II; from an insane asylum filled with secrets to the Clanton courtroom where Pete's defense attorney tries desperately to save him.
Reminiscent of the finest tradition of Southern Gothic storytelling, The Reckoning would not be complete without Grisham's signature layers of legal suspense, and he delivers on every page.
Praise for The Reckoning
"The quest for justice is only the beginning in this Southern family saga. . . . [Grisham] does so much more this time around."-Akron Beacon Journal
"John Grisham is not only the master of suspense but also an acute observer of the human condition. And these remarkable skills converge in The Reckoning-an original, gripping, penetrating novel that may be his greatest work yet."-David Grann, New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon
"John Grisham is the master of legal fiction, and his latest starts with a literal bang - and then travels backward through the horrors of war to explore what makes a hero, what makes a villain, and how thin the line between the two might be."-Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Spark of Light and Small Great Things